You will soon be receiving a letter from us detailing the rent and service charges that you will have to pay from April this year. Please adjust the amount you pay us to match the amount shown on the letter, so you don’t fall behind with your payments.

The Government asked housing associations to reduce rents by 1% per year from 2016 for four years. This affects all tenants apart from shared owners, whose rents will increase in the normal way.

However, our service charges - where relevant - will also be changing for tenants, leaseholders and owners in line with the estimated cost of providing the service. Your service charges may therefore increase. The overall amount you are asked to pay may therefore be more or less than you pay currently.

Letters will be sent out to you at the beginning of March, and you will have until 2 April 2018 to change your payments to the new amount.

If you pay your rent and service charges by Direct DebitYour payments will be automatically changed to the new amount, so you don’t need to do anything. If your Direct Debit does not currently pay your rent in advance, your Direct Debit will be adjusted to take this into account so that you gradually build a credit over the next 12 months.

If you receive Housing Benefit

We will tell your local housing benefit department about the new charges and they will change your benefit entitlement to match. If you don’t receive confirmation of your new entitlement by 30 April 2018 please call your local housing benefit department.

If you receive Universal Credit

You will need to tell the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) via your online journal or the Universal Credit Service Centre that your rent and service charges are changing before 2 April 2018. If you don’t, you might receive the wrong amount of Universal Credit. This might mean you have to pay more towards your rent or that you are paid too much Universal Credit, which will then be reclaimed by the DWP. To contact Universal Credit, please call 0345 600 0723.

How to pay

You can pay your rent by Direct Debit, online through our website, with your rent swipe card or call our Customer Care Team on 0300 1234 009. You can also go into your bank to make a payment.